With those words, Ailean the Wicked took to the air and back to Bercelak’s mother. Shalin . . . the Tamer of Ailean the Wicked.
Bercelak turned and headed back to the Queen’s Hall. As he passed other dragons, they greeted him but none challenged him. Instead they kept their eyes turned away. Except for some of the females who openly showed their lust. Apparently the fact that he hadn’t Claimed Rhiannon caught their interests as well.
Many of his brothers and sisters waited for him in the Hall. They would stay until Rhiannon’s reign was secure. The best fighters of his kin, including Ghleanna, had gone off to confront Rhiannon’s siblings. They would not wait for them to come to her.
“Everything all right?” he asked his remaining siblings.
They all nodded, but Addolgar motioned up the many stairs that led to what would now be Rhiannon’s bedchamber . . . his bedchamber.
“She’s gone up. Lots of activity with the servants since she went up there, too.”
Bercelak nodded as he stared up that long corridor. Strange how he suddenly felt a little . . . well, nervous. A Battle Lord who’d faced death on many, many occasions made nervous by one white dragon?
Then again . . . what if she’d changed her mind? True, they’d already been lovers but she could, in theory, make a case with the Elders. The thought that she may have changed her mind chilled the blood in his veins. He couldn’t lose her now.
Of course there was only one way to find out what she thought. And that was to face her head on, as his father had trained them all to do with every challenge.
“Worried she changed her mind?” Addolgar asked.
“It’s not an unreasonable thought.”
“Aye. Perhaps. But you’ll never know until . . .”
“I know. Until I face her.”
“The worse she can do, brother, is turn you to ash.”
Bercelak looked at his kin and his brother merely smiled.
“Bastard.”
With that last word, Bercelak headed up the stairs to his future.
Chapter 12
Bercelak walked into the queen’s chamber only to find it empty. Completely empty. Which seemed strange. He figured Addiena would at least have a treasure to rest upon.
Personally, he found lying on gold and jewels rather uncomfortable.
“Ah, my lord . . . the queen has moved chambers.”
Bercelak turned to look at who spoke to him, but he didn’t see anyone.
“Down here, my lord.”
He looked down and his eyes widened in surprise. This was no dragon in human form, but a human . . . sort of. It was actually a centaur. A female. Quite pretty—although she smelled like horse. Which made him a tad hungry.
“And you are?”
“I am attendant to the throne, my lord.”
“I’ve never seen you before.”
“I often stay in the shadows . . . as you can imagine, my lord.” She glanced at her hindquarter which was . . . well . . . a horse’s hindquarter. “It is much safer for me that way.”
With an understanding smile, Bercelak nodded his head. “I understand.”
“Please, my lord. Follow me. She’s waiting for you.”
“Is she armed?”
The centaur’s head tilted to the side. “I’m sorry?”
“Never mind.” He motioned to her. “Go. I will follow.”
She did and he admired the beauty of Rhiannon’s servant. Her hair and hide were a dark brown, but her eyes were a startling blue. Her long hair covered her chest, so she wore nothing but her skin and hide. How he’d never seen her before, he’d never know. But centaurs had strong Magicks, so perhaps she could protect herself from the dragons’ keen senses.
She stopped outside a smaller but still enormous chamber. “She is inside, my lord.”
“Thank you.”
With a small smile, the centaur said, “I will make sure no one disturbs you at least until morn.”
Bercelak chuckled and said again with much sincerity, “Thank you.”
Then she was gone. Just like that. Bercelak looked around but he couldn’t see her anywhere.
Interesting, but of no real concern. Besides, he had bigger issues at the moment.
With a deep intake of breath, Bercelak entered the new queen’s chamber.
“Rhiannon?”
He couldn’t see her anywhere. But he did see the enormous bed she had set up in one corner. That made him smile. Seemed his princess had come to enjoy the benefits of a human body.
On a whim, he shifted to human and walked toward the bed. “Rhiannon? Where are you?”
He reached the bed and looked down at the animal skins covering it. He felt his cock harden at the thoughts of what he planned to do to his princess in this bed. What he planned to do to her for hundreds of years if all went as planned.
“Rhiannon?” he called again.
Suddenly she slammed into his back, her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist. She was human and deliciously naked.
“Ha!”
It took him a moment, but he realized Rhiannon was . . . well . . . attacking him.
Grunting, she had firm hold of his neck and actually tried to throw him on his back.
“What in bloody hell are you doing?” He wasn’t angry. Just greatly perplexed.
“What?” she panted as she did her best to drop him to the floor. “You thought this Claiming would be easy? You’ll have to fight for me!”
The fact she couldn’t get him to budge or even wind him, seemed to irritate her as she growled in his ear. Of course, the sound only made his cock pulse in time to his heart and lust.
Crossing his arms over his chest and bracing his feet apart, “Didn’t I just fight for you?”
“No. You fought for your queen, who is me. But in order to Claim Rhiannon the dragoness . . . you’ll have to fight me.”
“Oh. Is that right?”
“Well, you didn’t think I’d just roll over, did you?”
“Actually I was hoping for an on-all-fours sort of thing.”
“You’ll have to do more than hope, Low Born.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure!” she said with her usual dose of arrogance.
With a smile, Bercelak reached back with one arm, his forearm stretching over her and his fingers taking tight hold of her under her armpit. With a smile, he flipped her over his shoulder and slammed her onto the bed.
“I win!” he cheered.
Bastard!
She should have been much sneakier. She forgot the stories his siblings told her about Ailean’s way of raising his offspring. When she slammed into his back, although she knew he never sensed her coming, the big ox never even moved. She could have been a fairy or a piece of dust from the way she affected him.
Gods, she loved him.
She looked up into his smiling face. He’d knocked the wind out of her by slamming her on the bed so hard, but she really had no one to blame but herself.
He moved closer but his big feet hit something under the bed and he glanced down only to look back at her with a huge grin. He did that a lot now, and she loved it.
“I’m guessing my sisters helped you get your chamber set up, eh, Rhiannon?”
He reached down and when he stood tall again, he held those damn chains in his hands. “I love how my kin cares for me so.”
“Dammit!” She tried to scramble away from him, but as strong as he was, he was also unbelievably fast. He caught hold of her around the waist and slammed her back to the bed.
“Oh, no, no, my love. You wanted me to Claim you properly. Then Claim you I shall. So that everyone knows it.”